Thermopile as THz detector

Abstract

A novel MEMS thermopile structure is presented, in which the thermopairs act as dipole antennas. The induced current heats the hot point of the thermopairs. The thermoelectric output voltage is proportional to the absorbed radiation power. The antenna-like feature of the device is demonstrated by the dependence of the sensitivity on the polarization. 5.58 V/W responsivity was achieved at 0.1 THz without optimizing the structure and the measuring conditions.